Commentaire de citation sur Le Deutéronome 11:4

נערמו מים, “the waters rose up (like wall);” Onkelos translates these words as “חכימו מים,” the waters acted wisely, etc;” We understand this as the waters cooperating with G-d’s plan to pour the Egyptians into the water. This would conform with what we have read in Deuteronomy 11,4: אשר הציף ה' את מי ים סוף על פניהם ברדפם אחריכם, “how the Lord rolled back upon them the waters of the sea of reeds when they were pursuing you; i.e. the waters were pursuing the Egyptians.”

וטפוף According to some, Speaking; comp. והטף And prophesy (Ez. 21:2); but the grammatical principles of the Hebrew language will not admit of this explanation ; according to others, Mincing—comp. אטיף, the Chaldæan translation of הציף He made overflow (Deut. 11:8)—‘ moving slowly, like one that swims upon the surface of the water.’ Others, again, derive it from טף Little ones (Est. 3:16), and I incline to this opinion ; walking slowly like a child. ²⁰The first explanation makes טפוף related to נטף, to drop; Hiphil: to speak, to prophesy. The second derives it from צוף ═ טוף, to swim, to go slowly; the third takes it as a denominative from טף, child: to walk like a child.

walking and raising themselves they walk Heb. ותפוף. This is an expression of something floating on another, as (Deut. 11:4): “over whom He caused...to flow (הֵצִיף),” which the Targum renders as אַטֵיף. Thus, a tall one would walk between two short ones, in order to appear to be floating over them (Shabbath 62b). Jonathan, however, renders: and with wigs they surround themselves. They would tie wigs, braids of cut-off hair. They would twist together with their braids so that they would appear thick and broad.